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The Bold is more than just a business phone. With a smoother, more intuitive operating system, it’s way more user-friendly than previous BlackÂBerrys. And it’s ideal for international travelers who want to stay in touch—with Wi-Fi to avoid roaming charges, cellular-assisted GPS, long battery life, and quad-band accessibility. For…
MACHO IN THE MIDDLESmith closes the gap between Bono frames and small, girly models with the manly Director, for medium-size crania. The tortoise frame evokes yesteryear’s glasses but with a few sports-hip fillips. Take this protective and secure model around the White Rim Trail. You’ll find its brown-tinted, polarized poly…
Flying south for the winter? The island-friendly Navigator 2.0 has a compass, 30-lap memory, three alarms, and 100-meter water resistance. The cool innovation is the free-form mesh band, which does away with set holes—great for between-size wrists. freestyleusa.com…
Combat-ready shades? Who knew? Rudy borrows military technology from Apache attack-helicopter windshields to fashion eyewear for troops, and puts the same supersubstance, ImpactX, into the Kalyos. The polarized photochromic lenses, in color-neutral gray, have optics as braggable as their toughness, taking you from medium-bright conditions to full-on sizzling sun,…
Giant Killer The long-awaited prosumer follow-up to last year’s GOY-winning EOS 5D Mark II, the 7D is $1,000 cheaper than that top-shelf DSLR but in many respects a better camera. While it lacks the pro version’s full-frame sensor, the 18MP 7D more than makes up for it with a responsive…
Why It’s CoolIt’s 50 bucks! Which is not to say it’s anything close to cheap. Like the Moonstone pullover that’s also reviewed here, this simple, silky polyester shell will serve you well on on a gusty run, a drizzly dog walk, or an epic mountain-bike ride. » It’s super-breathable, and…
You’ll often leave before sunrise to make a summit push. Pack this small, light LED headlamp, which has two settings: a floodlight for illuminating the trail and a beam for long-distance (150 feet) spotting. princetontec.com…
The low-key ranch-jacket exterior of the Hard Place conceals some trick technology. A finish called NanoSphere magically repels stains and dirt from the abrasion-resistant Schoeller WB-400 fabric. A waffled liner channels sweat away from the back. And under the arms, a lightweight stretch fleece allows venting without unwieldy pit…
Most snow saws rely on puny teeth better suited for cutting crusty bread. This 14-inch (seven when folded) igloo saw uses quarter-inch shark teeth to rip through even the most consolidated snow. Use it for pit work or carving the perfect shelter blocks. Attaches easily to just about anything—ski…
Shorts and crabs is usually a frightening combination, but not here: The cushy AirGel chamois is infused with Crabyon (made from crab shells), which has antibacterial properties. Bonus: Durable knit between the legs prevents premature wear. www.louisgarneau.com…
Get a performance fit without a river-guide vibe. Waterproof leather and an antimicrobial footbed raise the price but come in handy on vacation in, say, the Yucatán. www.eccousa.com…
Cold, sunny, blowing, wet—when weather changes every ten minutes, the Airspeed keeps pace with zip-off sleeves and a drizzle-resistant shell. 8 oz; www.lowealpine.com…
A three-ounce jacket with a hood? Believe it. This water-resistant featherweight trims grams with a half-zip and paper-thin ripstop nylon fabric. It’s less breathable than others here but offers excellent rain protection. 3 oz; mammutusa.com…
The fabric is heavy-duty denim, the knees are reinforced, and the free-moving design is, in fact, good for climbing. arborwear.com…
SMART AND SIMPLE The Mojave earned the highest praise a soft shell can get when one tester said, “Awesome. The perfect combination of warmth, weather resistance, and breathability.” Credit goes to the fabric itself—the Mojave is made entirely of Polartec Power Shield, a standout for its standard-setting versatility—and the elegantly…
QUEEN OF THE HILLS Testers loved the Diva’s asymmetrical carbon frame: It looks sexy and, more important, provides a smooth ride. Equipped with a SRAM Force drivetrain and light-but-stiff Ksyrium ES wheels, the stiff and spunky Diva climbed effortlessly up gap after gap in Vermont’s Green Mountains. The dialed geometry…
When buttoned up, the 550-down-filled Format can handle the coldest mountain weather. And when it finally warms up, detach the hood, crack the underarm vents, and keep on riding. scottusa.com…
Old-school cool meets new-school green in the lightweight Klein, made in part with recycled polyester. Wear it with just a base layer on mild spring days. Or around town all fall. holdenouterwear.com…
FEATHERWEIGHT First impression: Too light to abuse—or rely upon on in really nasty weather. But doubters became believers in the field: It’s every bit as durable and waterproof as jackets twice the weight and didn’t slow testers down on a wet-weather run from the summit of Mount Adams. The trick?…
Because all the LightSpeed’s major seams are sealed, it’s the most waterproof glove we’ve ever tested. mountainhardwear.com…
Smarter than its predecessors, the Split Thump features removable earbuds and disguised controls (the O’s on the temples) for the integrated digital audio player, which now handles almost all file types, including iTunes formats. Mac or PC; 512MB; oakley.com…
Air scoops on the shoulders, a full-size back vent, and the softest, most porous nylon of the bunch makes this an ideal pick for intense or humid runs. Style kill: See-through fabric reveals ugly inner workings. 5 oz; asics.com…
Bushwhacking to the beach? The DWR-coated and tightly woven Inertia Peaks won’t blanch. Making for the water? Snap the roll-up legs into place and take a dip. cloudveil.com…
Specialized’s first-ever women’s-specific design has rose-colored lenses that dim bright road conditions, lighten shadows, and enhance contrast. specialized.com…
Primo globe-trotter tread from the maker of some of the best-wearing boots and shoes around. These waterproof leather numbers feature trail-ready soles, burly toe boxes, and rubber all around. merrell.com…
Good for BackcountryWe loved the subtle pinstripe herringbone pattern and the ceramic scuff guards on the ankles. And thanks to the waterproof/breathable eVent fabric, they didn’t get stuffy on an hourlong hike to Taos, New Mexico’s Kachina Peak. westcomb.com…
IGNORE THE FORECAST Good for Resort The Hoback is our favorite fully insulated ski jacket. The incredibly light Gore-Tex Pro Shell exterior is as waterproof and breathable as shells get, repelling even high-moisture squalls in the Cascade Range better than any other fabric we tested. Inside…
The killer-whale look is definitely polarizing, but the supportive fit and smartly articulated chamois of these handmade bibs felt great even after six hours in the saddle. Bonus: SPF 50 sun-protection rating, so your legs won’t burn under that white fabric. pearlizumi.com…
Don’t let the laid-back, skate-shoe looks fool you. With sturdy Vibram outsoles and tough, water-resistant uppers, the Boaris are meant to double as your lightweight hikers. patagonia.com…
Down Economic stimulus in the form of a 650-fill down jacket with a soft, shaggy hood and a feminine cut. llbean.com…
Good for Trail Easily the warmest jacket here, the XV is absolutely stuffed with top-tier down (850 fill) and wrapped in a tougher-than-average DWR nylon shell. It’s a bit heavier—but a lot burlier—than other down jackets we tested. 2.1 lbs; firstascent.com…
How to make perfect cycling sunglasses: Start with photoÂchromic lenses (not polarized, which hide the glare on slick spots) for day-to-night wind deflection and auto-adjusting tint. Then throw exhaust vents on the lenses to cut fogging. Next, grippy rubber at nose and temples. Last? Price it right.
I loved this glove for midwinter tours. My routine: Skin up wearing just the waterproof-breathable shells, then put the fleece liners in for a warm, dry descent. blackdiamondequipment.com…
Utility Whether touring or just pleasure-cruising, these lightweight soft-shell cycling trunks are our top pick for simple, relaxed, chamois-free bottoms. Quick-drying after a rainstorm or roadside swim, acceptable at the bistro or B&B, and sporting four pockets, they're a godsend. outlier.cc    …
German Engineering If, like in that song, I was walking 500 miles, I’d wear this incredibly comfortable shoe, no question. Suede-lined, molding ergonomic footbed below. Supple, unlined leather above—meaning you control the climate with your choice of socks (or lack thereof). birkenstockusa.com…
If you prefer to do sun salutations in a T-shirt, opt for something moisture-wicking, like this mostly polyester one, which also has strategically placed mesh panels for releasing steam. marmot.com…
When you’re ready to graduate from a touring bike to a zippier ride—one with the streamlined speed, stiffness, and low weight to tackle a race but enough gears to let you climb any mountain pass—hop on this svelte option. Its full-carbon frame has the energy transfer and agility of…
All-conditions excellence marks the Fasano’s hi-def optics: The polarized, amber lenses are also photochromic, adjusting to light intensity on the fly. So you can trust these to take care of your eyes from dawn to dusk, whether you’re on the road, on a sunny deck slopeside, or in a…
Town Crossover Stuff the synthetically insulated Guise into one of its pockets and—voilà —it’s a U-shaped travel pillow. Though the DWR coating and pit zips give it a bit of technical prowess, without interior pockets, Velcro closures, or a hood cinch, this jacket is not designed for serious backcountry use.1.8 lbs;…
PUFF LIGHT Of all the jackets we tested, none saw as much field time as the Xenon. The slightly puffy top is stuffed with enough PrimaLoft insulation to be worn alone down to about 30 degrees. And while its face fabric appears thin and fragile, it’s anything but. One tester…
Warm feet, plus giving the planet a helping hand: The Brrogue’s outsole is made with recycled and natural rubber, while the suede and full-grain leather are both produced in factories that work to create fewer emissions. These boots aren’t for bitter temperatures, but the toothy tread will surprise you…
BEGINNER’S BOARD The INT’s top may be made of closed-cell foam, but that doesn’t mean it’s a poorly performing slug like most soft-tops. Because the business side of the board is all resin (like conventional glassed surfboards), with a set of two Future Fins and a Bahn Fin in the…
Headquartered five minutes from Canada’s St. Lawrence River and the mighty surf waves at Lachine Rapids, Riot helped launch big-wave riding as its own kayaking subgenre. The Astro carries on that tradition with a fast-planing hull and delayed rocker to aid aerial moves but maintains a bow profile narrow…
PERFECT FOR PLAYING, SUITABLE FOR DOWNRIVER If your town has a play park, put this boat in it. Here’s why: On a steep breaking wave, a slow, bouncy boat will get you airborne. But on down-tempo man-made waves, the boat has to make up the difference. The Ronin does: It’s…
GIGGLES FOR ALL Funboards are often overlooked because they don’t have the sexy lines of a shortboard. But for most casual surfers, this WRV Fun Fish is just right—and the 7’6″ model we tested is the most user-friendly board here. Its flat bottom made for easy paddling and acceleration, allowing…
The gold standard of expedition paddling gets a makeover with a more versatile neck closure to fit everyone from a linebacker to an Olsen twin and—thankfully, with all that water rushing by—a “relief” zipper. kokatat.com…
Amphibian A webbed sneaker-sandal mash-up? About time! My new favorite summer shoe, the Paradox resembles a light hiker but is brilliant in the wet stuff, secure while crossing rocky rapids and perfect for watersports where you need more proÂtection than you’ll get in a sandal. chacousa.com…
This moisture-wicking, skin-tight nylon-Lycra racerback tank has four-way stretch so it moves with you. Plus, because it’s extra-long, it never crept above testers’ hips. No built-in support means you can strip down to your sports bra on warmer days. lululemon.com…
Behold the Gear of the Year: A 16-ounce, 900-fill-down wonder that’s destined to be the new sleep standard for fastpackers and anyone else who appreciates gossamer weight in a three-season bag. Marmot’s ultrastuffable Atom practically vanishes into your pack. 1. How feathery is the Atom, with its über-premium down and…
1. Want race-proven? Trek’s all-new Madone is available in three levels of carbon (White, Black, and Red). Because the top-tier Red frames weren’t done in time, Alberto Contador won last year’s Tour de France on a mid-level Black frame, exactly like the one shown here. 2. Stiffer bottom…
Patagonia has virtually erased the line between soft shell and storm shell with the Spraymaster. The incredibly stretchy, astoundingly waterproof, and impressively breathable lightweight shell fuses the best of both worlds. Call it a firm shell. And rest assured, it’s the one jacket that will prompt you to seek…
1. A handful of shoes boast construction this light, but most are minimalist racing flats without much structure. Not so with the 902. Thanks to new-tech, lightweight materials—in the cushioning, foam, and even the breathable mesh of the upper—the 902 supports your foot better than many midweight shoes. 2.
The slow but steady First Need uses a three-stage matrix to draw out and starve viruses. Forcing water through the unit takes time and elbow grease on the pump handle, but the end product is virus-free and ready to quaff, with no need for additional chemical treatment. And because the…
1. The best soft shells are jackets that rarely spend time in the closet—they’re always in use. Such was the case with the Cipher. Its chest, tops of the arms, and part of the back panel are armored with Gore Windstopper fabric, while the rest of the jacket…
Why It’s CoolCuddling up to the two-pound-two-ounce Sub Kilo definitely took the edge off a few damp, chilly nights in the Green Mountains of Vermont. Two curvy lines stitched down the length of the bag to prevent the 700-fill goose down from clumping worked as billed: No cold spots arose…
1. A paradigm-shifting camera, the D3 has a new sensor with incredible low-light sensitivity that, with a high-speed shooting rate (nine frames per second) and a new autofocus system that locks on to moving subjects like glue, can make images that were literally impossible to capture before now.
Why It’s CoolThe canister version of MSR’s liquid-fuel SimmerLite shares its twin’s huge burner head, with similar pot supports that rotate into place and double as the feet. The legs endow the WindPro with the second-largest pot platform of all the cookers we tested, and the steadiness of a cast-iron…
1. The AG is one highly engineered board, but all that technology disappears when you hop on it, and this directional twin-shape was our favorite all-mountain board. 2. Heavily reverse-cambered boards, with a rocker shape from tip to tail, can be a little squirrelly for riders used to traditional…
If you think even a three-pound tent is heavy, but snoozing sans roof seems iffy, the NightHaven is for you. More than a tarp, less than a tent, the shelter sets up with two trekking poles. Lack of ventilation meant the silicone-treated nylon walls got clammy when the NightHaven…
Good for Backcountry We’re not too nuts about the term “all-purpose” either, but we hope you understand our point: Whatever you do, from resort skiing to snowshoeing, we’ve got the perfect jacket for you. Some, like the North Face Free Thinker II, are bedecked with nearly a…
LOVABLE ODDBALLWith a slide-in pad replacing ground-side stuffing, the Crystal is one strange bird. But it’s also hosted some of the deepest slumbers of my life. Coziness arrives courtesy of an insulation-layering scheme called Dualmax, which intersperses slabs of Primaloft with batts of 650-fill down. As I flipped in sleep…
You have to hand it to big-mountain legend Jeremy Jones for launching a successful board line during the recession. Straight out of the gate, Jones’s boards won over our testers. In the end, though, it was the versatile Mountain Twin that had them wishing we could extend our test…
BEST ALL-AROUNDER Pardon our bluntness, but testers were unanimous: This tent has its shit together. How? The weight-to-space ratio is outstanding, the design simple and effective, and the protection bomber. With a quick-pitching hubbed pole design, two doors, and a spacious 36-square-foot interior, the Mesa was the most sought-after tent…
ULTRALIGHT SUMMER BAG You tend to pay more to carry less in the rarefied class of one-pound, down summer sacks. That’s why the barely-over-a-pound Flash is such a surprise: For packability, weight, and warmth it rivals bags that cost much more. And there’s nothing cheap about its silky shell and…
Of all the headlamps we tested, the Lucido TX-1 sends light the farthest (a whopping 345 feet), and its beam never wavered, even over a weeklong back-packing trip, thanks to three AAs. 5.8 oz; mammut.ch…
ULTRALIGHT AND COMPRESSIBLE Testers liked Big Agnes’s almost entirely recycled synthetic sack (the Skinny Fish; $180) just fine but were blown away by the down-filled Zirkel’s warmth-to-packability ratio. Like all the company’s bags, the Zirkel integrates the pad right into the bag via a sleeve on the underside, which, in…
EFFICIENT MOUNTAINEER Our most organized testers especially liked this tough, sensible 1,850-cubic-inch pack. Internal pockets hold snow-safety gear, valuables, and a hydration bladder. Outside, five more: two on the side, one in the lid, one on the hip belt, and one shove-it pocket on the back panel. The ski and…
Nothing is worse than being rudely awakened by rain when sleeping out sans tent, which is why testers had high praise for the 15-degree Shield. For starters, the 800-fill down is wrapped in a proprietary waterproof-breathable fabric that’s nearly as tough as Mammut’s burliest shells. And if it starts…
Ultralight and Packable The Vapor 15 is the lightest 15-degree-rated bag on the market; it stuffs down to the size of a Nerf football—and isn’t much heavier. Unfurl it, though, and you’ll find the high-end, 850-fill insulates like a bag that weighs almost twice as much. Of course, to make…
Swift Sticks Three things we look for in trekking poles: light weight, comfy grip, and easy length adjustment. The new Aergons hit the trifecta. At 17 ounces, they’re respectably light. The mostly cork grip is ergonomic, and the newly designed locking levers are strong and simple to use—even with gloves…
Because it’s two inches wide and has grippy rubber strips for added traction, Gibbon’s Jibline is the perfect slackline for beginners and kids. gibbonslacklines.com…
Speed is Your Friend Racers and fitness snowshoers, these are for you. And, no, you’re not missing something; there’s no binding. Instead, running shoes or lightweight boots attach directly to the shoes’ PVC-free decks with included, easy-to-use hardware and a couple of punches with a power drill. (Yes, it permanently…
The Link is the only goggle on the market with a lens that’s both polarized and photochromic. It cuts glare, and, if you drop from a sunny ridgetop into a shady couloir, the tint automatically fades to let in more light. zealoptics.com…
Fine-tune support with the Decade’s unique locking lace system. And don’t worry about taking them off right away: The liner, with its memory-foam footbed, stayed comfortable when the bar was standing room only. northwave.com…
Unlike most park-and-pipe helmets, the Mutiny has a hidden, adjustable vent system and a removable, two-position goggle clip. Remove the ear pads and wear it all spring. burton.com…
Striking a balance between park monster and powder hound, the Polarity utilizes a twin progressive sidecut with tight tip and tail radii for effortless spins and knuckle-dragging turns at high speed. The 149 might seem small, but it's surprisingly fast for its size. And the flex is playful in the…
SMOOTH OPERATOR Good for Big Mountain The Monster 102 is only a millimeter slimmer than Head’s pro-model ski, the plank-stiff 103, but the performance is a world apart. Thanks to its softer tip and a powerful tail, it’s easier to move through tight trees and…
You can’t see the changes. But by tweaking the shape of the lower shell (it’s more upright) and upper cuff (less forward lean), Lange has created the most responsive expert-level boot we’ve ever skied in. langeskiboots.com…
Our testers’ clear favorite this year, the lightweight Smith looks cool and has a low profile. Smart feature: The venting system can shutter closed on the fly if you get cold or the snow starts coming down hard. smithoptics.com…